ORCHARD HILL COLLEGE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 0 of them in deficit at their latest return. A trust can move money between its academies, so an academy shown in deficit may be supported by the trust as a whole.
Most of a school's money pays for staff, so deficits usually build up when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or when pupil numbers fall and the money that comes with each pupil goes too. What helps: a recovery plan agreed with the council or trust that brings the budget back into balance over a few years, regular forecasts that governors check, and early conversations about pupil numbers and special needs funding.
- 2018-19: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £4,845 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £5,120 in 2025–26 prices. The IFS average for all trusts in 2023-24 was £510 per pupil, in 2025–26 prices (IFS, p.56).
Figures are each school's latest full-year return, total with the per-pupil figure beside it. PTA income is the school's share of its registered parents' association's latest return, in the school year that return falls in. Where no registered parents' association was found, the school may still have one: charities with an income of £5,000 or less need not register.
| School | Status | Reserve | Government funding | Spending | PTA income | PTA per pupil | Donations | Reserve per pupil trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£18k +£133 per pupil | £6.1m £44,219 per pupil | £5.7m £41,839 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£109k +£1,295 per pupil | £3.1m £37,262 per pupil | £2.8m £33,131 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£870k +£5,367 per pupil | £7.3m £45,247 per pupil | £6.7m £41,605 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£869k +£5,024 per pupil | £7.3m £42,058 per pupil | £6.7m £38,624 per pupil | £59k £339 per pupil | £339 | £5k £29 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£7,146 per pupil | £7.5m £48,000 per pupil | £7.2m £45,898 per pupil | £5k £29 per pupil | £29 | £10k £64 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£510k +£6,629 per pupil | £3.4m £44,714 per pupil | £3.1m £39,896 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £1k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£4,955 per pupil | £7.3m £29,659 per pupil | £6.7m £27,085 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2016 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£473k +£5,319 per pupil | £2.4m £27,427 per pupil | £2.9m £32,483 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£5,868 per pupil | £5.4m £29,451 per pupil | £4.7m £25,440 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£998k +£8,527 per pupil | £4.9m £42,137 per pupil | £4.1m £35,026 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.1m +£8,786 per pupil | £13.5m £37,754 per pupil | £10.9m £30,545 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.7m +£13,176 per pupil | £6.6m £49,691 per pupil | £5.9m £44,732 per pupil | £5k | — | £22k £166 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.1m +£15,838 per pupil | £6.2m £47,106 per pupil | £5.3m £39,803 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £18k £136 per pupil |
Sources: DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data (CFR returns for council-run schools, April to March; academy accounts returns, September to August), Get Information about Schools, DfE section 251 outturn (DSG balances), the Charity Commission register and the IFS annual report on education spending in England 2025–26 (IFS figures in 2025–26 prices, November 2025 deflator). Open Government Licence v3.0. Check at source: DfE benchmarking for this trust. How these figures are worked out